


Cassandra and the Handmaiden's Secret

by Barbara_Lazuli



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Cass's romantic subplot is open-ended, F/F, I want a cass spin off with gay shenannigans, So I made it myself, and im a sucker for that unrequited love trope, because she's still very in love with raps ok, but disney prolly wont give us that, that shit takes time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbara_Lazuli/pseuds/Barbara_Lazuli
Summary: To pay for a debt that Cassandra owed to Princess Liana of Verdania, she's tasked to find the princess's estranged sister born from the king's affair with a handmaiden. As Cassandra's journey lets her uncover the royal family's secrets, she comes to realize how closely these people's tales parallel her own
Relationships: Cassandra (Disney: Tangled)/Original Female Character(s), Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

The cart rattles and bounces as the terrain becomes more and more uneven. They must not be in the capital city anymore. The little stowaway continues to watch in awe from the back of the cart, blue eyes taking in every thing they could from the flap's opening. All the fields and trees in this part of the kingdom... What a shame that she had to sneak out to finally see how beautiful her home is.

When the horses stop, the little girl jerks forward and almost falls out of the cart. 

"Please wait here."

The girl's heart stops when she hears her mother's voice. For second, she thought she'd been caught. But her mother was only talking to Alan, the young guard she convinced to take her here. 

She watches her mother get off the cart. To the little girl, it's so marvelously strange to see the usally regal woman clad in what commoners would usually wear. Her mother heads to the little house the cart parked in front of. She merely stands there at first, looking so uncharastically unsure of herself. 

Eventually, her mother knocks. Someone opens the door, a woman with dark skin and thick curly hair tied back revealing herself.

 _This must be "Lucille"_ , thinks the stowaway.

She can't hear them from where she's hiding, but it seems her mother is saying something. Lucille stares, shocked. Soon, her mother is let inside the house. The girl pouts at this development. She can't see what's happening if they're inside.

Luckily, the girl didn't have to wait long for something interesting to happen. The door swings open again. This time a girl slightly older than the stowaway comes out. Skin dark and hair curly like Lucille. The beat of her heart quickens.

 _It's her! It's her!_ she thinks. 

She could barely contain her excitement as she jumps out of the stuffy cart. The older girl is skipping ahead of her and the stowaway watches in awe as she follows. She's humming a happy tune, her voice beautiful and light with innocent joy. She must live a happy life in that small but cozy-looking house.

Lucille's daughter arrives at a grassy field, descending down the inclined plain with a trail of gleeful giggles. The stowaway lets herself watch for another moment before following after her. But something like a rock catches the tip of her shoe, and the stowaway comes stumbling down the hill into a bruised - and humiliated - heap.

She pulls her face off the grass before it reddens when she sees that the older girl noticed and likely saw her fall.

"Are you okay?" Lucille's daughter says once she's crouched in front of her.

Now that she's so much closer, she can see her face. She can see that despite being oppsites in most of their physical appearance, they have something in common. Blue eyes, dark blue like the night sky. She feels a grin stretch her lips.

"Oh, well." Lucille's daughter giggles and picks out grass from her red hair. "If you can smile like that, then I guess you're okay." She holds out a hand. "I'm Stella. What's your name?"

"I'm Liana." She forgoes taking Stella's hand in favor of wrapping her arms arouns her neck. Breathlessly, she says, "I'm your sister." She laughs in sheer delight. There may be tears prickling her eyes. "I'm so happy. I finally met you!"

"Whoa. Wait a second. Sister?" Liana's smile melts away when Stella pulls herself out of the embrace. She looks confused, taking in Liana's pale skin and red hair. "Missy, we look nothing alike."

"We have the same father," Liana explains. With Stella's cautiousness, Liana's excitement has gone away, all that's left now is insecurity. "I overheard Mother arguing with Father the other week. She was really mad, so I couldn't help listening in. She got angry at Father because she found out he has a daughter with a woman named Lucille."

Stella's eyes widen as she takes all this information in. "Is your mother the woman in our house right now? Queen Eloise?"

Liana nods, eyes down at her folded lap. Stella doesn't look as happy at the discovery of having a sister. Now there really are tears in Liana's eyes. She stands, too humiliated to bother brushing off the grass and dirt that have clung to her dress.

"I'm sorry," Liana says, already turning to leave. "I'm not even supposed to be here. I'm going to --"

"Hey, wait," Stella softly calls after her.

A hand takes hold of Liana's wrist, and she lets herself get turned back to Stella. The older girl sympathetically looks at Liana's downtrodden face before gently wiping away the tear tracks on her cheeks. 

Then, without warning, Stella pulls a face, eyes and nose scrunched up and tongue poking out of her mouth. Liana is so surprised that she gasps out her laughter.

"What are you doing?" Liana asks in between giggles.

Stella relaxes her face to a more natural grin. "Just wanted to make you smile, is all. What kind of sister would I be if I made you cry?"

Happiness blooms in Liana's chest. Before she knows it, fresh tears are leaking out of her eyes.

"Oh no, what's wrong?" Stella panics.

Liana shakes her head as she continues to sob. "I'm just really happy."

At this answer, Stella is back to her giggly self. "Aww..." she coos, continuing to rub at Liana's cheeks. "You're a bit of a crybaby, aren't you? Come here."

Stella takes Liana's hand in hers and pulls her to where the flowers are abundant.

"I was going to make a flower crown for the queen," Stella starts to say. "She looked really sad, you see..." Something somber flashes in Stella's eyes. "... but I guess I understand why now. Mama wanted me to play outside so she could talk to her alone, so I thought this could cheer her up a little bit." She takes a daisy off its stem to tuck between Liana's ear. "But it looks like you could use it, too. You want to make one with me?"

"I don't know how," Liana admits.

"Not a problem! I'll teach you."

But Stella doesn't get to teach her. Lucille had come looking for her daughter, and she brought Queen Eloise with her.

"Liana! What are you doing here?" Eloise pulls Liana to her feet, away from the flowers, away from Stella.

"I wanted to see my sister," Liana says, already desperate to run back to Stella.

Eloise blinks. She takes deep breaths, fingers tightening the slightest bit around her daughter's wrist. When she's calmed down, she gives Lucille and Stella a meaningful look before telling Liana, "You'll have to say goodbye now. We're going home."

But their castle isn't a home. In the castle, her father doesn't like playing with her. Her mother is often so sad, Liana doesn't feel like she's _there_. But here, there are tall trees and fields of flowers and Stella ready to wipe away her tears.

Liana pries her wrist out of Eloise's grip and begs, "I don't want to leave." 

Someone stands between them, and Liana stares at her sister's back. "Please stay a little longer," Stella pleads. "I want to talk to her more."

For one second, Eloise looks like she might give in. But Lucille finally speaks up.

"No, sweetie," Lucille says and pulls her daughter to her side. "They can't stay any longer. The king might look for them. And he can't..." Lucille trails off without finishing what she was about to say. She looks at Eloise. "Please, go."

For reasons that Liana can't yet understand, Eloise looks pained. She takes Liana's wrist again and hastily pulls her daughter to their cart.

"Princess Liana?" Alan says, bewildered. "Why are you here?"

"That's not important right now," Eloise says, voice tight. "Take us back to the castle. Quickly."

"Of course. As you wish, your highness."

This time, Eloise doesn't sit with Alan at the reins. She gets inside the cart with her daughter. Liana prepares herself for another lecture, but her ears pick up on someone else's voice.

"Liana! Hey! Sister!"

Liana scrambles to the back of the cart and lifts open the flap before Eloise could protest. Stella is running after them, panting and shouting her words at them as best she could.

"For the record! I'm really happy too! I'm happy to know! That I have such an adorable sister!"

Like Liana at the hill, something makes Stella trip and fall to the ground. Liana gasps, worried, but Stella pulls her face out of the dirt with a huge grin. Liana laughs despite herself, despite her tears.

She watches until Stella and Lucille are so far away that she can no longer see their faces. The tinier they become, the tighter Liana's chest becomes. She turns back to Eloise, surprised to see her mother look as sad as she feels. 

"Mother?"

Eloise only wipes at the wetness in her eyes. Liana takes the flower in her ear, crawls back to Eloise, and tucks the flower into her mother's ear.

"Stella was going to teach me how to make a flower crown," Liana says. "She thought giving you one might cheer you up, because you looked really sad. But this is all I have right now."

Eloise's face softens. She takes her daughter into her arms and Liana buries her face in her mother's chest. 

"I suppose..." Eloise says, "... we might have to go back so you can learn how to make one."


	2. Royal Favor

Cassandra hates Verdania. She really should have followed her gut and circled around the damn kingdom on her way to Corona. But she was getting short on supplies. She could endure rationing her food until the next village, but she could tell that Fidella wanted to rest. So, despite the still growing number of criminals in the doomed country, she decided to restock her supplies and rest in an inn. 

She really should have just camped out in the woods or something. But she supposes she also had to see _her_.

She struggles against her bonds again, but her captors really did an amazing job at tying the rope. Absently, she wonders if they were sailors at some point. No, pirates, more like. 

Light slowly streams back into the room when the door opens. Three people let themselves in: a petite woman with an obnoxious smirk, a gruff-looking man with long, thin limbs, and a huge, burly woman.

"Well, well, well," the short woman starts to say and Cass immediately rolls her eyes. "Who knew capturing the once _wicked_ wielder of the moonstone would be so easy?"

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? Since you took me while I was asleep?" Cassandra tugs at her restraints, smirking as she leans as close as she can to the woman. "Let me go and I'll show you what I can really do to you."

The woman can only wordlessly blink back at Cass. The man all but shoves her away as he sneers, "Get a damn grip, Sierra. We can't afford to lose this one, so for once listen to what's inside your head instead of what's between your legs!"

Sierra fumes with indignance. "I'm not some gullible idiot, Victor!"

Victor scoffs. 

Cassandra yet again rolls her eyes when her two captors continue to argue. The burly woman keeps her steady gaze on Cass, so she has no choice but to wait for them to load her up in their wagon to have a chance at escaping.

She takes in her surroundings, trying to see if there's anything useful she can snatch before they inevitably drag her. When her gaze briefly flits past the window, she notices a familiar ball of feathers. 

_Owl!_ she internally cheers. 

Glass shatters when an arrow shoots through the same window. While her captors focus on the window to look for its source, Cass notices something attached to the arrow. She takes a deep breath just before the room fills with a thick cloud of smoke.

"What the f--" she hears Sierra exclaim. "Don't breathe it in!"

But it's too late. Cass already heard two bodies drop to the floor. The door bursts open again, and before Sierra could find the culprit, a hooded figure is already cutting Cassandra's binds. 

When they've made it out of the shed, Cassandra finally asks, "Who are you?"

She can now see that her savior is a woman with thick brown curls. The top half of her face is covered by a mask, but Cass can see brown eyes narrowed at her, almost like an annoyed sneer.

"Questions later, Lady Cassandra," she says. "I still have to save your troublesome behind."

Cassandra's eyes widen at the familiar voice. Before she could even react, a horse heeds her savior's call, followed by the man who shot the arrow riding his own steed.

"Let's go, kiddo," he tells Cass as he pulls the masked woman to ride behind him. 

Cassandra follows their lead, Owl flying above them as they ride past the outskirts of Verdania's capital.

"Where are we going?" Cassandra asks.

"A safe place," is the masked woman's only answer. 

"Oh jeeze!" the man suddenly says. "What did those hooligans do to your arm, Cassandra?"

Cassandra looks down at her charred right hand. Since she was only clad in her sleep wear, she doesn't have her gauntlet to cover up the injury. She tugs at her sleeve to hide it until she realizes how futile and pointless the action is.

"They didn't do this," she says. "It's just an old injury."

Cassandra ignores the masked woman's scrutinizing gaze. She isn't really in the mood for sympathy, though she rarely, if ever, is. 

"So you're only forced to use your left hand since then," the masked woman muses. "No wonder your swordfighting is sloppy."

Cassandra scoffs in indignance at that. "You try fighting without your dominant hand. Three months since I last saw you but you're still as insufferable."

"Seeing as you still haven't thanked us for _saving_ you, I like to think that I'm entitled to a tiny bit of it."

"Unbelievable." Cassandra turns to the man. "I don't know how you deal with her, Alan. This one makes Raps look like a model princess."

Alan only shakes his head. "I'm not getting dragged into this argument. I'd like to go home soon to my wife."

"See how much trouble we went through?" the other woman says. "Alan had to leave her poor, pregnant wife."

Cassandra narrows her eyes. "Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna be roped into something to make up for this?"

For the first time that night, a smile finally graces the woman's lips. Though it's more like a smirk. "Why thank you for the offer, Cassandra. I only want you to grant me a small favor in return for saving your life."

Cassandra groans. "Just so you know, I didn't _need_ your help. I would have been fine on my own."

Soon they find themselves in front of an old, tiny house. It's secluded far enough from the other houses in the village that nobody noticed three people entering the home at the dead of the night. Alan is told to take care of the horses while the woman leads Cass into the house.

The old building is covered in vines, the patch of land surrounding it covered in overgrowth, as if no one has been to care for it for a long time. But the interior is clean, if a bit messy. Cassandra has a feeling that, though her two companions are familiar with the space, that their frequent visit to the place is a recent development. 

Now that they're inside, the woman takes off her mask and pulls off the hood of her cloak. In a flash of magic, her hair turns from brown to red, eyes now a dark shade of blue. The cloak reveals its true colors to be black with blue trimmings, a chameleon-shaped clasp holding the collar together.

"I see you're putting the cloak I gave you to good use," Cassandra remarks as she takes a seat in one of the rickety chairs. "Frequent use, even. I suspect this masked vigilante look you're pulling is a regular thing." She quirks a curious brow. "What have you been up to, Princess Liana?"

Liana takes the seat opposite Cass. "After you left, I realized how right you are." Cassandra's brows raise at this admission. "This kingdom is a mess. My father is incompetent at best and corrupt and apathetic at worst. I've tried to reason with him, tell him how we should do something about the poor citizens and growing number of criminals, but he won't listen. So I've decided to help them myself. The cloak helps keep my anonymity."

"So the king doesn't know," Cassandra supplies. "This is very dangerous, Liana. It isn't just your father you could upset. Dangerous people might come after you."

"You don't have to worry." Liana leans back in her seat, eyes looking around the house. "I've been sneaking out of the castle since I was a child. Alan and I can handle ourselves." The tip of her lips quirk into a smirk. "And you're not really one to lecture me about keeping out of trouble. Why were those people keeping you captive?"

"Ah." Cassandra shrugs. "I may have foiled their bandit leader's plans one too many times. He developed quite a grudge."

Liana hums. "You are pretty good at making people resent you."

Cassandra huffs, exasparated. "When are you going to let me live that down?"

"When you've returned the necklace you made me lose."

"You're a _princess_. You have plenty of jewelry."

"It had sentimental value."

"You know what? Fine! Tell me this favor of yours and if I grant it, I want us considered even."

"Your life and my necklace only amounts to one favor?" Cassandra only gives an unamused look. "Fine. I need you to find someone. You see, my father is sick, he may even be dying."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Liana waves a hand dismissively. "Don't be. He isn't a good man."

But Liana still cares, Cassandra can tell. Liana can pretend to be hard-hearted all she wants, but the fact that she still thinks of an old trinket as precious shows that she has a heart that loves deeply. Still, Cassandra opts to hold her tongue. She has firsthand experience with complicated feelings for an unkind parent.

"Instead of trusting me to rule the kingdom in his inevitable retirement, he decided the best option would be to marry me off to some king of another country in a week."

"Oh. Now I'm really sorry."

"Yes. Not every princess gets to be as lucky as Corona's Rapunzel, I suppose."

Cassandra snorts. "You won't be saying that once you've met Eugene," she says, not because she still thinks he's unfit for Rapunzel, only that he's an unfit example of an ideal spouse for Liana. "So who do you want me to find? A secret lover to whisk you away before the marriage?"

"No, nothing like that. I want you to find my sister. I'd like to see her, before I'm essentially sold to another king."

Cassandra blinks. "Wait a second. You have a sister?"

Liana nods, though she's too preoccupied with the fabric of the shape-shifting cloak to look at Cass. "Father had an affair with my mother's old handmaiden. But my father's lack of loyalty isn't what's important. I want to see Stella again. I was going to have Alan do it for me, but his wife's due date is getting close and there are things still needed to be done before I leave. Not to mention, having my guard disappear for days won't be hard to notice. I want you to take her here, while I still have a chance at a proper goodbye."

"Or I could take you to her," Cass offers. She leans forward, making Liana look her in the eye to let her know how serious she is. "It won't have to be a goodbye."

For a second, Liana looks tempted to accept the offer. But she shakes her head. "I can't. I would love to, but I can't."

Cassandra crosses her arms as she leans back to her chair. Though she'll never admit it to Liana's face, she considers her a friend, and her heart breaks at her fate. "I understand. I'll do what I can, then. I'll find your sister for you."

Liana gives Cassandra her first sincere smile of that night. "Thank you." She stands and so does Cass. "It's getting late. We'll discuss details of your journey tomorrow. Oh, and before I forget."

Liana takes out a strip of silk from her cloak. It's Cassandra's handmaiden veil.

"Your owl brought this to my room to let me know of your capture," Liana explains as she hands it back to Cass. "You can sleep here tonight. But make sure you're ready before sunrise. The boats leave early tomorrow."

Cassandra blinks dubiously again. She turns to Lianna who is already on her way out of the house. "Wait. Boat? I'm sailing across the sea?"

"Yes." Liana raises a brow. "Is there a problem?"

Yes, there is. It's blue, and cold, and will suffocate you without mercy if you succumb to it.

Cassandra fucking hates the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope Cassandra isn't OOC. I've only watched a few episodes and read about her, so I sure hope I got an accurate enough grip of her character. I totally accept constructive criticism here.  
> Fun facts about the OC's  
> \- Liana is an ace/aro princess.  
> \- she and Cass have a love-hate relationship. They met shortly after Cass left Corona and have become like begrudging siblings ever since.  
> \- the king is shit so Alan has basically become Liana's dad. Liana's already demanded to be the godmother of any and all children he may have (even tho, at the time he had his first child, she was only fourteen)  
> \- yes, sierra the bandit lady does have a crush on cass. No, they aren't endgame. I just think it's funny to think about Cass escaping capture sometimes by using her feminine wiles. I mean, she's canonically seduced a guy to manipulate him, right?
> 
> If you wanna see some sketches of these characters or just some tangled fanart (i've only drawn cass so far, but i also drew frozen and steven universe stuff) check out my tumblr @barbara-lazuli


	3. Wrapped in Cloth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My voice claim for Liana is Alice Lee (Heather Duke from the Heathers Musical) and for Stella is Olivia Olsen (Marceline from Adventure Time, but you probably know that). For anyone interested in knowing what they look like, I posted them here:
> 
> https://barbara-lazuli.tumblr.com/post/615881425079730176/i-dont-even-know-guys-its-a-cass-spin-off-fic

Cassandra was more than eager to get off the ship as soon as Azulon port came to view. She impatiently waits for the ship to dock and only relaxes once she and Fidella are on land. Owl, who had been perched on her shoulder for most of the trip, takes off to the sky now that Cassandra is no longer anxious. 

But Cass bitterly glares at the sea. She'll still have to go through that again on her trip back. Drats.

She really wishes Liana didn't mean as much to Cass as she actually did. She wouldn't have sailed to another land otherwise. 

She feels bad that her trip back to Corona will be delayed because of this, but in a way, this is all Rapunzel's fault anyway. If it weren't for her opening Cass up to the beauty of true friendship, she wouldn't have been willing to make new friends on her journey. Now here she is, fulfilling a favor for a friend who still glares at her for losing an old necklace that one time.

Cassandra sighs. Maybe she should just stop befriending princesses. Not that she even actively ever did the "befriending" part, princess or otherwise. It just happens.

She leaves Azulon port and makes it to Oroza the next day(She may have gotten a little lost for a while, but that's only because whoever made the map that Alan gave her did a horrendous job). The town's open market is the first thing she sees, the place filled with the hustle and bustle of merchants, craftsmen, and fishermen exchanging a variety of goods. Cassandra briefly gets distracted by an assortment of tops, a brilliant green one catching her attention. Cass smiles as she examines it. It's the exact same shade as Rapunzel's eyes.

Goodness, she wants to go home.

Cass gets jostled when a couple of kids rush to the stand to marvel at the toys. It's the metaphorical slap Cass needed to remind herself that she's a twenty-five-year-old woman who really shouldn't be interested in such things anymore. 

Cass self-consciously tugs at her gauntlet, turning back to Fidella when she notices a woman watching her. The woman is tall, maybe as tall as Eugene, and in her long arms are rolls of silk and linen. She's wearing a dress, but the apron, thick gloves, and tinted goggles over her eyes remind Cassandra of forging gear. 

_Or Varian_ , Cass absently thinks.

Out of habit, Cassandra glares. Her still in tact fascination with a children's toy may not be her proudest feature, but she'll be damned if she lets herself be judged by a stranger. The other woman flinches at being caught, face red in shame. But when the woman finally catches herself, she offers Cass a friendly smile before retreating, not into a dress parlor, but a blacksmith's shop. Cassandra's irritation turns into bemused intrigue.

She leaves Fidella just outside the shop before entering. Most of the merchandise displayed are metal accessories, even a few jewelry. She briefly considers buying a replacement for Liana's lost necklace, but then reminds herself that the sentimental value was the reason the princess held it dear. 

Cassandra's attention drifts to the weapons, like it always does. A pang of longing fills her as she takes a flail to examine. She wishes she could bring her case of weapons, but traveling required as little luggage as possible. 

"I didn't figure you as a flail kind of girl."

Cassandra's head turns to the source of the voice and finds the same woman from before. She's at the other side of the counter, elbows on the wooden top and chin in her hands. 

Cass head tilts to the side. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

The woman points at the sword sheathed on Cass's back. "You look like the kind who'd want something more elegant like your saber."

Cass hums, testing the weight of the flail in her left arm one last time before putting it back. "I like to learn how to use all kinds of weapons. I have a collection back home, actually."

Cass has always taken pride in her interest in weapons, even if most people don't think it's fitting for a lady like her, but she feels something close to preening when the other woman grins and slightly jumps in place like an excited child. 

"Really? What do you have so far?"

Cass shrugs. She isn't used to such genuine interest. Even Raps only took interest because she liked _Cass_ , though that isn't exactly a bad thing. Far from it. "I already have a flail, a battle ax, and a few more things, but the halberd's my favorite."

The woman rapidly nods, the curly strands of hair framing the sides of her face bouncing. That and the spot of soot on her cheek makes her a pretty amusing sight. "Halberds are really cute."

That gets a short laugh out of Cassandra. "Can't say that's why I like it, but sure."

"So did you want to buy something to add to your collection?"

Cassandra gives the weapons one last longing look before shaking her head. "Just wanted to look. I'm traveling, so I can't really bring much with me."

"Oh? A traveler," the woman's tone drips with intrigue. "What brings you here, then?"

"I'm looking for a woman, actually. Her name's Stella. I was told she lives here in Oroza with her mother Lucille. Do you know her?"

The woman's lazy smile sobers at the question. She stares through her tinted goggles, brows rising, before eventually shrugging. "I don't think I know her. This is a pretty big town. Lotsa people here," she chuckles. Her gloved finger taps on the wooden counter. "Why are you looking for this woman?"

Cassandra regards the person before her. Her tone is casual but something about the change in her body language has Cass suspicious. "Her family wants to see her. I was told to bring her back for a brief reunion."

The tapping stops. "Really? Which one?"

Cassandra's brow quirks. "Does it matter to you?"

"Ah. Um."

"I'm sorry. Can I ask for you to remove your goggles? It's rather rude, don't you think?"

The woman shrugs again and pulls the goggles up to the top of her head with a sheepish smile.

Cassandra crosses her arms. "According to Liana, her sister is a twenty-three-year-old woman with dark curly hair, dark skin..." Cass taps the right side of her chin. "... a mole, right here, and blue eyes. Are you Stella, Miss Blacksmith?"

A sheepish chuckle this time. "I'm not actually a blacksmith. I just help out here." When Cassandra only stares back blankly, expectantly, she sighs. "And yes, I'm Stella. Did..." Stella bites her lip, trying to tamper something like excitement down. "Is my sister really looking for me?"

Cassandra softens at the barely restrained hope in Stella's voice. "Yes, she is. Liana misses you dearly." From her pouch, Cass takes out a sealed envelope. "If you need proof, I have a letter she wanted me to give you."

Stella takes the letter as if it were made of fragile glass. Her eyes shine with tears as she reads the letter. "My baby sister is getting married. I can't believe it."

Cass bites the inside of her cheek. Liana told her not to tell Stella about Liana's opinion pertaining her own wedding. "I don't want to worry her," Liana said when Cassandra protested. Cass also has a feeling that if Stella were the one to ask Liana to run away, she won't be able to refuse.

When she has finished reading, Stella finally notices the tears streaming down her face. She's quick to wipe them away with a meek laugh. "Sorry. First you catch me staring at you, now I'm crying in front of you. Not a very good first impression of me, huh?"

Cass can only clear her throat of nothing but discomfort. Eager to change the mood in any way, she asks, "So why did you lie to me?"

"Can't be too careful nowadays. I don't know you."

"I'm Cassandra," she decides to introduce herself.

Stella nods and shakes the hand Cass offers. "Liana mentioned you in the letter. "

"I understand if you need to tell your mother and prepare for the trip. I'll stay at an inn in the meantime. So just --"

"Oh no, Miss Cassandra. You misunderstand." Stella's smile looks pained, no longer reaching her midnight blue eyes. "I'm not going to Verdania."

Cassandra does a double-take at that. "Come again?"

Stella's hands come up to hold her own elbows, hugging herself. "I can't go back to Verdania. My fa -- _King Raphael_ exiled me and my mother."

"I'm aware of that. That's why I'm taking you there. Well. _Sneaking_ you in."

But Stella only shakes her head. "I'm very sorry you came all the way here. But I really can't come with you."

Cassandra stops herself too late from ruffling her own hair in frustration. "Look. I don't even care about the long trip." Even if sailing across the sea is something she loathes to do. "But Liana wants to see you. Don't you want to see your sister, too?"

"I do," Stella firmly says. For that moment, she strips off her easy-going persona and it catches Cass off guard. "I love my sister, and it pains me to be so far from her."

"Doesn't that mean it's worth the risk?"

"She is. But I'm done taking risks," Stella says. The finality in her tone would have been convincing if her voice didn't have a slight tremble. Just as she's turning for the door that leads to the forge, she adds, "I don't have much I can afford to lose anymore, Miss."

Cassandra's hands clench at her sides, ignoring the pain in her mangled hand from the tension. She doesn't want to see the disappointed look on Liana's face. She rarely sees emotion in the stoic princess aside from irritation, but she doesn't really want to have the chance to see her look dejected and heartbroken. 

She imagines Liana in her castle, waiting for her sister to finally come back to her, only to see Casssandra empty-handed. For years, she's been waiting.

At the last second, her damaged hand shoots out to grab Stella's wrist. "Please. Is there any way I can convince you?"

Before Stella could even reply, a burly man with a greying beard appears from the doorway. He sees Cassandra's hand on Stella's wrist before firmly detaching it. With a gruff voice he says, "Sorry, madame. I know Stella is a lovely lady, but if she doesn't want to be courted, then she won't be courted."

"I... What?"

Stella places herself in between them. "No, no, Paul," she laughs uncomfortably. "This isn't what's happening here, I swear."

"Really?"

"Really. Anyway, she was just leaving."

Stella gives her a pleading look, to which Cassandra concedes. For now. Paul the burly man has made it a point to make the forging hammer in his hand known. Cass could probably (definintely) take him, but she isn't in the mood to pick fights right now. So she leaves the shop and dejectedly trudges back to Fidella, forehead resting on the horse's neck as she groans.

"What now?" she asks herself. If Liana couldn't forgive her for losing a necklace, then she doubts the princess won't be upset that her sister couldn't come to her wedding.

Cassadra finally lets her hand run through her hair in frustration, further mussing her unruly curls. No matter. She still has her trip back to Rapunzel to look forward to. Cassandra's head tilts, attention caught by a piece of paper nailed to the lampost she tied Fidella to.

 _Raps_...? 

From the right half of it that she can see, a girl with unusually long hair is illustrated on it. She takes the paper to see the full picture. A sense of déjà vu immediately hits her.

Cassandra blinks up at a rather crude illustration of her and Rapunzel facing off in battle poses. In the illustration, Cassandra is wearing her moonstone suit and a deranged look on her face, somehow reaching up to Rapunzel with sharp claws. Not unlike the poster for that dreadful play in Corona. On the bottom of the paper, it reads, _SUN AND MOON_.

Cassandra snatches the paper from the post. "What the _fuck_ is this?" she couldn't help the curse from slipping out. The sheer absurdity of this poster deserves that fuck.

 _It's been half a year since the wicked wielder of the Moonstone laid siege on one of the most renowned Seven Kingdoms_ , the synopsis provided says. _But the memory of that epic battle is still fresh on its citizens minds, including the WAYWARD MINSTRELS, who witnessed it first hand. So if you wish to know exactly how the battle transpired, head to the plaza, where they will reenact the battle for Corona between the sun and moon!_

Cassandra grunts in irritation. At least with the Coronian players, Rapunzel would have the authority to vet their show. But she doesn't even know who these minstrels are, and she highly doubts they were in that battle. These players will likely twist everything that happened into something more dramatic and give excuses like creative license for whatever inaccuracies they may commit.

She crushes the paper in her hand and gives no second thought as to where she throws it. She only wants it to disappear. Her crimes, her sins... her guilt over what she did to Rapunzel and Eugene. She wants it all to disappear. 

But they never will. People will talk, pass down stories with different versions of what Cassandra did. Like these stupid players who thought it would be a great idea to profit from real events that happened to real people. She can go anywhere, find her destiny or whatever the hell it is she's looking for, but it seems the ghosts of her regrets will always haunt her like Zhan Tiri did.

Right now, all she can do is throw the crumpled poster with as much spite as she can muster.

"Oh!"

In her ire, Cassandra didn't realize that she threw it in the direction of the shop, hitting Stella who had just come out of it. The paper bounces from Stella's forehead then lands on her open palm. 

"Sorry." Stella smiles sheepishly. "I made you really mad."

"No, it's..." Cassandra sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. The cool metal of the gauntlet on her skin somewhat helps cool her down. "I just saw something... really frustrating."

Stella looks from the paper to Cass before pocketing it. "Right. Um, I'm still really sorry, by the way."

"For refusing to shortly reunite with your sister after years of getting separated?" 

She sees Stella's jaw clench. "I have my reasons."

"Well, whatever those are, I sure hope they help hold back Liana's tears." Cassandra was pushing it when she said that. She isn't even sure that the princess is physically capable of crying. But it's a last ditch effort at persuading Stella, so she's pushing whatever button she can push.

Cassandra busies herself with untying Fidella but a quick glance shows Stella's conflicted face. Whatever is holding her back, she hates that she isn't letting herself come back. She holds the rolls of fabric she was carrying earlier tight against her chest, tight enough to look suffocating.

"I could give you a room to stay in for the night," Stella says instead of acknowledging Cassandra's passive-agressive remark. "It's the least I could do, since you came all the way here. And that way, I can write a letter you can take back to Liana before you leave."

Cassandra studies Stella's face for a moment, takes in her guilt and growing discomfort over Cass's scrutiny. Eventually, Cassandra steps toward Stella and takes the rolls from her. "Fine." She throws her a smirk as she ties the rolls to Fidella's saddle, "Maybe I can find a way to change your mind by tomorrow."

She hears Stella sputter before she clears her throat. "Before we go, if my mom asks, just tell her we met at the market."

Cassandra quirks a brow. She finally lets herself take in Stella's appearance. Gone are the forging gear and dirty apron Stella had worn. Even her hair is different, now in a tidy half-updo instead of the messy ponytail from before. 

"Okay," Cass concedes. "But if you don't want your mom to find out you were in the blacksmith's shop," Cass pulls herself up to Fidella's saddle before smirking down at Stella. She taps the right side of her face, "you should probably wipe the soot off your cheek."

Stella's face flushes and she hastily rubs her cheek with the heel of her hand as she makes her way to Cass. With her tall stature, she easily manages to mount herself behind her. "Has that been there the whole time?"

With the hand wearing a leather glove, Cass absently reaches up to wipe off the spot Stella missed. "Since the moment I saw you, actually."

The red in Stella's face doesn't disappear even when Cass turns to hold onto the reigns. "Are you a bully, Miss Cassandra?"

"Maybe," Cass replies with a dry laugh, pushing down the thought of how drastically understated the truth is.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyyyyyyyy
> 
> Welcome to this Cassandra Spin-off filled with original characters that nobody asked for. Real sorry about that. Cassandra will still be the MC, I love her character too much, but yes the story will also heavily focus on these OC's. I'd say I'll do my best to make these characters remotely as interesting as the Tangled cast, but this likely won't garner much attention anyway. So, whoever intrigued reader is passing by, I hope you enjoy this self-indulgent fic


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